Dragon War [not finished]

Introduction

Ryia is your average 13 year old girl. She has blonde hair and a smattering of freckles. Her small nose is smudged with dirt. She wears purple dresses and leather boots. But she is different in many ways.
For instance, Ryia lives in medieval times.
Yes, that's certainly much different than modern 13 year olds. Ryia and her six friends were definitely not ordinary.
15 year old Leonardo had a fascination with reading. His father was a bookbinder, and would let Leo read the books once he was done with them. Hadrian, the scribe who worked with Leo's father, had taught Leo to read, and they are very close. Leo thinks of him as a second father.
14 year old Evelyn was a musician. No one had heard music greater than that which Evelyn played. She would never go anywhere without her flute slung over her back and her lyre clasped in her hand.
15 year old Peter grew up in a household of knights. His father was the best knight ever to serve the king, and Peter's brothers were in training. Peter was determined to become a knight as great as his father. Everyone said it was motivation that drove him, but being raised with his brothers heckling him all the time certainly helped.
13 year old Margaret was so strong that people often mistook her for a small adult. Her timid looks deceived them, so when she would hoist a bag of thirty pounds up on her back, everyone would be wide-eyed and gaping. Margaret's parents had wanted a son, and when she was born instead, they were disappointed. So she tried her hardest to be what they'd desperately wished. By the time she was five, she understood that her mother and father loved her the way she was. But by then, she was already the strongest child around.
15 year old Fred loved riddles almost as much as Leo loved reading. Fred could solve any riddle he was presented with, no matter how hard. He loved to boast about it, too. As the miller's son, he was particularly self-conscious, so he felt like he wanted as much respect as he could get.
14 year old Cristiana was very energetic. She could run five laps around the track in the time it took most people to realize the starting whistle had been blown. She was loud. She was talkative. Cristiana was like a burst of energy, all rolled up in one girl. Whenever her six friends were bored, they'd ask Cristiana to tell them a joke.
Last but not least, there's Ryia. Ryia wasn't clever, like Fred, and she wasn't outgoing, like Cristiana. She didn't love reading, like Leo, and she wasn't strong, like Margaret. She wasn't even a fighter. But oh, was she brave. She would do anything to save her friends or the things she loved. Battles weren't her thing, but she certainly was courageous. Ryia was the most selfless of the group, and that is why everyone else adored her. But nothing could prepare them for what was about to befall their town.

Authors' Note: In the Middle Ages, they used 'hands' instead of 'feet' when they were measuring. One foot is equal to about three hands.